Switching Lives
by MiraculousDragonMaster
Summary: Salvia is a princess bored with her royal duties. Dawn is a normal girl tired of overworking herself. When these two look-alikes meet, they switch places, which may cause problems that could threaten the kingdom. Based off the Prince and the Pauper. *Co-written with PokemonFreak90.*
1. Prologue

Switching Lives

 **MDM A/N: Howdy, everyone! This is another Pokémon story! But, this time, I have a co-writer in this. PokemonFreak90 and I decided to work together and share this story.**

 _ **PokemonFreak90 A/N: Hello, readers! Welcome to our new story, which is a collaboration between MiraculousDragonMaster and I. Thank you for letting me help you in writing this story! We both hope that you all enjoy reading it as much as we enjoy writing it.**_

 **We hope y'all enjoy this prologue! And, action!**

Prologue

Long ago, in the beautiful kingdom of Sinnoh, a beautiful baby girl was born. And she was a princess. The king and queen of Sinnoh were joyful of their new daughter's birth. They then vowed that Princess Salvia would be sheltered and be brought up to become a wonderful queen.

But, in everyone's rejoicing, they didn't notice another baby girl crying on the doorstep of an orphanage. This baby girl was named Dawn, as the manager discovered when she found her and saw her name stitched on the pink blanket in blue calligraphy.

She took her in, but she was also worried. A beautiful girl such as Dawn shouldn't have to face the hardships of not having a family. Maybe though, she could find a family for her, so that she could be happy.

As the years went by, things went one way for one, and not for the other. Salvia was learning from the best and being primmed up to become the great queen everyone said she could be.

However, as for Dawn, she stayed at the orphanage her whole life until she was old enough to support herself. Eventually, she did find a job in Lord Cyrus' household, but it was never enough.

These two girls, two very different lives. But, all it takes is one thing to change everything.

Sadly, the king had died when Salvia was a young girl, and now, as Salvia was reaching the age of 18, her widowed mother, Queen Johanna, was nearing death as well. Worried about her daughter's well-being, she sent out a proclamation, asking for suitors from far and wide to come and seek her daughter's hand in marriage.

But, Salvia has turned down every suitor that had come to woo her. None of them were what she would want in a future husband. Johanna knew that she would act like this. But then, she thought of something.

In the kingdom of Kanto, there was a young prince who was looking for a wife, but he hasn't responded to any other proclamations of marriage, stating himself that none of them were what he would want in a future wife. From what she had heard, he was kind, generous, and handsome. Hopefully, Salvia might consider his offer.

* * *

 **A/N: We hope you guys enjoyed this. Please leave a review about what you think so far. And for future reference, the plain bold text is me, MiraculousDragonMaster. The bold with italics is PokemonFreak90.**

 **Got to fly!**


	2. Wish for the Better

Switching Lives

 **PokemonFreak90: Time for the first official chapter as we introduce our two main characters. We hope that you enjoy!**

 **MDM: I totally agree! Let's roll it!**

Chapter 1

Wish for the Better

Princess Salvia was reading a book in the castle's huge library when a servant knocked on the door. "Come in." she said as she closed her book.

The servant then came in and said, "Princess Salvia, the Queen wishes to see you in her chambers immediately."

Salvia controlled her urge to groan. After all, a princess does not complain. "Very well." she complied.

She left the library, subtly checking her appearance in giant mirrors as she walked down the hall. Her midnight blue hair was kept back neatly in a bun and headband, her blue eyes were wide awake, and her casual blue sun dress didn't have a single wrinkle. Her white low heels were also polished nicely. Sometimes though, Salvia wished that her appearance didn't have to matter so much.

After a few minutes, she came to two huge white doors and knocked. "Enter." a voice called from the other side.

Salvia entered into the room, where luxuries of all kinds were either on the walls or on desks and drawers. She then saw her aging mother on a soft velvet blue armchair, wrapped in a loose sky blue silk blanket. It was obvious that Salvia was the spitting image of her mother, since they both had midnight blue hair and eyes and pale skin. The queen wore an aqua green sun dress with white lace around the trim, and she wore white satin slippers instead of her yellow low heels.

"Sit, my darling." Queen Johanna patted the matching plush chair adjacent to hers. Salvia walked up to her mother and sat down in the spare chair.

"What did you need to speak with me about, Mother?" Salvia asked.

Johanna took a deep breath and said, "I have called to inform you that another suitor will be arriving tomorrow."

"Not another one, Mother!" Salvia retorted, but quickly regained her calm composure when Johanna glared at her sternly. But still, she wasn't pleased. This had to be the 15th suitor that had come for her hand.

"Hear me out, darling. This prince is from Kanto, and from what I've heard, he is rich and a respectable young man. He had never answered any other proclamations of marriage until now." Johanna explained.

Salvia thought about it for a few seconds. This prince probably mostly keep to himself if this was his first time answering something such as this. None of her other suitors were like this. They just wanted her for her kingdom, since she was the soon-to-be-queen. They didn't really care about her and Salvia had rejected each one. But still, she wanted nothing to do with this.

"Mother, I know that it is my duty as princess to consider things like this. But do I have to get married so soon? I am only 18. Even you waited a bit before you were wed."

"I know, Salvia." Johanna said. "But you know that I am not going to be around forever. I just want to make sure that you will be taken care of before I pass."

Salvia felt tears welling up in her eyes. She wished that her mother wasn't dying so soon. But also, she wished that she could at least have a say in something.

"But this is about my life." she said, controlling her urge to shout, but her voice was slowly raising as she continued. "I will allow him to visit, but as I have done before with the others that have come, I won't go through with this." With that, she got up and left the room, leaving her mother, angry tears streaming down her face.

Johanna sighed. Her daughter was just as stubborn as she herself was when she was her age. But she had no choice but to do this for her. It was for the best.

* * *

In her own chambers, Salvia was sitting by her bed, quietly shedding tears. A huge winged Pokémon then came beside her. Togekiss hated seeing her mistress sad. She rubbed one of her wings on her back with a reassuring coo.

Salvia stroked her beloved Pokémon with a sad smile. "Hopefully, things will change, Togekiss." She stood up and walked out to her balcony, seeing every inch of her kingdom. She loved this land. She would do the right thing, even if she didn't like it. But she still wondered what life might be if she wasn't a princess.

What if she was free to live her own life the way that she wanted? As a princess, she had known for her entire life what her future would be: to take over the throne someday. She had no choice in what her future would be.

* * *

Elsewhere in the kingdom, there was a large house that belonged to a wealthy man named Cyrus. Working in his house was a servant named Dawn, who had lived a much different life than the princess had.

Growing up in an orphanage, she knew nothing about herself except her name. Once she had grown old enough to support herself, Cyrus had hired her as his servant. But each day, she worked from dawn 'til dusk. Cyrus just threw chores her way, and at the end of the day, he didn't pay her full wages and that always makes Dawn frustrated. Cyrus would sometimes treat Dawn coldly, but sometimes with some mercy.

Still, she had three meals a day and a place to sleep at night, and if she decided to leave, she would just be living out on the streets, so Dawn never thought about leaving. This life was all that she'd ever known.

Sometimes, she would look out the window of the servants' quarters, which had a nice view of the castle, dreaming of a life supposedly fit for a princess. She wished that she could live a wealthy, easy life with her own servants that did everything for her. Ironically, she didn't know that a certain princess in said castle was often looking out her own window, wishing the exact opposite for herself.

Little did they know that today, they would each get their wish!

* * *

On this day, Dawn had just finished cleaning the chimney of Lord Cyrus' household. She wore a ragged black work dress and work shoes. Her hair, face, and clothes were now all covered with soot. She felt out of place, seeing all of the fine things around her on the shelves in the room. Piplup, her loyal Pokémon, was standing beside her.

Dawn had met Piplup several years ago while running an errand for Cyrus. Piplup had been abandoned by his owner and Dawn took pity on him and brought him back with her. Cyrus didn't seem to mind that Dawn now had Piplup by her side, as long as he didn't cause any trouble and stayed out of his way. Dawn also had to be the one to care for Piplup, on top of all her chores. It wasn't easy, but Dawn was glad to have a friend.

As Dawn was walking to the bathroom to clean herself up, Cyrus stopped her. He had spiked light blue hair and was wearing a dark grey suit with a black cape.

"I have an errand for you, Dawn. I have a letter that needs to be delivered." he said in a serious tone.

"Lord Cyrus, I need to wash up first after cleaning the chimney. I should look somewhat presentable before..." Dawn began.

"No!" Cyrus demanded, cutting her sentence off. "This cannot wait. I need this delivered to the castle NOW."

Dawn wasn't sure if she had heard him correctly. She was going to the royal castle?! A look of excitement came over her face. She had always dreamed about seeing what it was like inside the castle, where she could see what her perfect dream life could look like.

"Yes, sir! I'll go right away! Come on, Piplup!" she cried.

Dawn took the letter and she and her Pokemon dashed out of the house towards the castle, the place that Dawn had always dreamed of seeing. But she had no idea what was waiting for her when she arrived.

* * *

 **MDM: We hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I wrote Salvia's scene while PokemonFreak90 wrote Dawn's.**

 **Well, we'll see you guys in Chapter 2! Please leave a review about what you think!**

 **I got to fly! ;)**


	3. The Meet and Switch

Switching Lives

 **MDM: Man! Sorry it took so long to finish this! But, I hope it will be well worth it.**

 **PokemonFreak90: So, enough talk! Let's roll it!**

Chapter 2

The Meet and Switch

Dawn stood in front of the front gates of the castle. She was amazed by its splendor and immense height. Piplup hopped up onto her shoulder and she walked up to the gate of their servants' entrance.

"State your business." a guard said to her.

"Message for Her Majesty from Lord Cyrus." Dawn replied.

The guard eyed her up and down, taking in her sooty appearance and servant rags. "Very well. Proceed."

Dawn passed the guard and frowned when she entered the quarters. Everyone sees servants like her as property; never having the freedom to say anything or do anything for themselves. They just do as they say without a complaint or second thought. She hated it.

* * *

Dawn was awestruck as she walked on. All of the finery that blinded her view once she stepped out of the servants' quarters did all of Cyrus' riches justice. Beautiful pearl white marble floors were polished, the beige walls reached up to the high domed ceilings, with a diamond chandelier dotting every 12 feet. Beautiful paintings were on the walls, and finely carved dark oak tables were beneath each one, having porcelain vases and fragrant, colorful flowers in them.

Piplup had stars in his eyes, just like his friend. "Pip-lup!" he exclaimed.

"I agree, Piplup. I'd love to live here." Even though Dawn couldn't understand exactly what he had said, she knew that he was amazed by all that was surrounding them.

They walked down hallway after hallway, each one being more magnificent than the last. Dawn then saw a girl her age walking down the same hallway. She had fire-orange hair, ruby red eyes, and fair skin. Even though she was a servant, she was dressed much nicer than her, with a clean, simple light green dress. Beside her was a Glameow.

"Hello!" Dawn greeted with a smile. The girl stopped and looked over Dawn, taking in her sooty face and torn rags. But she returned the smile.

"Hello." she said. "I'm Zoey, head servant of the royal household. What brings you to the castle?"

Dawn reached into her apron pocket and pulled out the letter, saying, "Lord Cyrus has sent me to give this letter to the Queen."

Zoey took the letter and said, "I will give this letter to Her Majesty personally, I assure you."

"Thank you." Dawn said, nodding her head. With that, she began to leave, with her and Zoey going in opposite directions.

* * *

Dawn sighed, with Piplup patting the back of her head. She saw the way that Zoey had been eyeing her, judging her. At least she was polite and didn't throw her out at the sight of her dirty appearance.

Dawn never had many friends, just because she was a servant. She couldn't afford to have nice things, and she looked as thin as a bean pole, due to being half-starved most of the time, since her meals were very small. If only she lived here, in the castle. Then she wouldn't worry about a thing ever again. But that would have to be a miracle.

Suddenly, she bumped into someone. "Oof!" Dawn then landed on the floor, with Piplup flying in the air. He was chirping like crazy, panicking.

"Piplup!" Dawn cried out.

But before the little Penguin Pokémon could crash onto the marble floor, a Togekiss glided over and caught him on her back. Piplup let out a sigh of relief. Togekiss trilled to him, asking if he was okay. Piplup chirped an "okay". Dawn exhaled with relief.

"Are you all right?" a voice asked her.

Dawn turned to who was speaking. It was another girl her age, but she was dressed much fancier than Zoey. Her light blue sun dress was clean and crisp, showing off her fair skin tone. She wore shiny white low heels, and her dark blue hair was up in a bun. They were eerily similar to her own blue locks.

"Yes, I'm okay." Dawn replied.

"Please, allow me." The girl offered her hand and Dawn took it. The girl then began looking over her rags and soot-covered face. Dawn prepared herself to be scoffed at and kicked out. But instead, the girl had a look of pity.

"Oh, goodness. Come, let's get you cleaned up a bit."

Dawn blinked, then nodded. "If you insist." She then started to follow the girl, with Piplup and Togekiss behind them. "What's your name?" she asked.

The girl looked confused, but then softly smiled. "Please, call me Salvia."

"Salvia?" Dawn asked. "That's the same name as the princess."

"Well..." Salvia trailed off. Dawn then realized that this actually was the princess!

"Oh, I am so sorry, Your Highness." Dawn dropped to the floor in an apologetic curtsy.

"No, please." Salvia said, taking Dawn's arm and bringing her up. "Just call me Salvia."

Dawn was still a bit hesitant, but slightly grinned. "If you say so. I'm Dawn."

Salvia smiled. "That's a lovely name."

Dawn blushed a soft pink and replied, "Thank you." It was rare that someone had a kind word for her like that.

* * *

Soon, they arrived at Salvia's room. Dawn was amazed at the regal sight. A canopy queen bed with turquoise sheets and white plush pillows was against one of the walls, and a matching lounge was near the glass doors leading to the balcony. A dark oak desk was against another wall, and rugs of dark blue were on the floor.

"This is amazing!" she exclaimed.

Salvia just shrugged, saying, "Well, for a princess, I can only have the finest things."

She walked over to a makeup vanity at a corner and got a clean rag. She then went back to Dawn, handing it to her. "Here you go."

"Thank you." Dawn said, then she began to wipe away the soot from her face.

Once she was finished, she gave the rag back to Salvia. The princess felt for a split second that she was staring into a mirror when she saw Dawn's clean face.

Piplup and Togekiss gave out surprised chirps when they saw the two girls. The girls turned to their Pokémon.

"Piplup, is something wrong?" Dawn asked.

"Togekiss, what's the matter?" Salvia questioned.

But the two were just looking back and forth between the two girls. Piplup did it so many times so fast, that he literally got dizzy and fell off Togekiss' back.

The girls were still confused. Togekiss pointed to the vanity mirror with one of her wings. They went over there, and they were shocked to discover something. They both had midnight blue hair, blue eyes, and fair skin.

"You look just like me!" they both exclaimed. They had no idea why they didn't see it sooner.

As they stared into the mirror with awe, Salvia suddenly had an idea. "Hey, since we look very much alike, why don't we trade places?"

"Trade places?" Dawn asked. Piplup and Togekiss gave out chirps of alarm.

"Yes!" Salvia confirmed. "I can be you, and you can be me! And it would only be for a few weeks."

"No way!" Dawn exclaimed. "That's crazy! If I pretend to be you and someone finds out, I will be thrown into prison...or worse!"

"Calm down." Salvia said. "No one will find out. We look too much alike for anyone to tell the difference."

"But are you sure?" Dawn asked.

"Yes, I am." Salvia said. "I'm tired of being a princess. I have responsibilities that I do not want to deal with, and I haven't been outside the castle grounds even once. I want to see what's out there. I wish to live my own life."

"Really?" Dawn said, and Salvia nodded her head. She turned to the Pokémon, who were shaking their heads, then back to her look-alike, who was giving her a pleading look.

"Well, I hate my life of being invisible and not important. And I hate working so hard as a servant and not being appreciated for it. Let's do it!" Dawn exclaimed.

Salvia clapped her hands with glee. "Then let's get started!" The two girls then left the room and into the closet to swap clothes. Their Pokémon sighed with defeat.

* * *

In a few minutes, Salvia had dressed Dawn in a beautiful pink gown and white opera gloves. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail with some locks of her hair down, and a tiara was on her head.

"Awesome!" Dawn exclaimed as she twirled in front of the mirror. "I've always dreamed of dressing up like a princess!"

"You look lovely, Dawn." Salvia said, making her doppelganger blush the same shade of pink as her dress.

"Thank you." she replied, shyly. But then, she remembered something. "But I don't know a thing about being a princess."

"Don't worry." Salvia assured her. "It's actually quite simple. Just be polite, punctual, and graceful. Do that, and everything will be fine."

"Okay." Dawn said. She handed Salvia her working clothes. "Now it's your turn."

Salvia grinned excitedly, and took off into her closet with Dawn's work dress. A few minutes later, she emerged from it, dressed exactly like Dawn was before. She even had her hair down.

"Wow!" Dawn exclaimed. "You do look exactly like me!"

Salvia giggled and said, "Now, how do I act non-royally?"

"You still be polite, but you can complain about some chores." Dawn snickered, and Salvia joined in. "Also, you might have to get dirty."

"That will not be a problem." Salvia said. She was about to leave, but then saw Togekiss following her. "No, Togekiss. You'd best stay here and help Dawn if she needs it."

Togekiss gave a worried coo, but complied to her mistress' wish. Dawn then picked Piplup up from the lounge.

"You'd better go with Salvia. She would need help." Piplup gave a shocked "Lup?!" But when he saw his friend's pleading look, he gave a defeated sigh.

Dawn hugged him gently, saying, "Thank you." She then gave Piplup to Salvia, and he went over to her shoulder.

Salvia petted Piplup on the head softly. "I'll take good care of him." she promised to Dawn.

"Thanks." she said as she walked over to give Togekiss a reassuring pat on her head. "And I'll do the same for Togekiss."

"Thank you." Salvia said, then she and Piplup left the room.

Both girls were finally going to get a chance to live the life that they had always dreamed of. Little did they know that it wouldn't exactly be everything that they had dreamed of.

* * *

 **MDM: We hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review about what you think.**

 **As for me, got to fly! ;)**


	4. Their First Day

Switching Lives

 **MDM** : **Sorry for the long hold-up. We've both been pretty busy.**

 _ **PokemonFreak90: It's been a busy summer, but we're ready to continue. So...roll it!**_

Chapter 3

Their First Day

Dawn watched Salvia leave the room with Piplup. She petted Togekiss on the head before looking outside the room. Seeing that Salvia had left, she turned back to the Jubilant Pokémon.

"Come on, Togekiss." she said. "Can you show me some parts of the castle?"

Togekiss chirped in agreement and began leading her down a hall, since Dawn didn't know her way around. Dawn admired the architecture that was around her. But then, she bumped into someone. It was Zoey.

"Oh, I am so sorry, Your Highness." Zoey apologized, curtsying deeply.

Dawn was a little confused at first, but then remembered that she thought she was Salvia. "Uh, it's all right, Zoey." She then picked up a basket of white drapes that Zoey had dropped and handed it to her. "Here you go."

Zoey was a little confused because royalty would never give a second thought as to helping a meek servant like her. But she eventually took the basket, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness."

She then noticed the dress that "Salvia" was wearing. "If you don't mind my asking, Your Highness, why are you wearing a different dress?"

Dawn looked down at her own clothes for a split second. "Well... I just thought that it would be nice to wear something new for a change."

Zoey shrugged. "If Your Highness says so." She then curtsied again, saying, "Please excuse me." She then left down the hall.

Dawn breathed a sigh of relief. "That was close." she said to Togekiss. "Now, what was it that you were going to show me?"

Togekiss trilled with excitement and started to lead Dawn again. Dawn giggled before quickening her pace to catch up.

Soon, Togekiss pushed open two doors. As she and Dawn entered, the doppelganger princess was amazed at the many bookshelves towering against the spacious walls. There were so many, that there were a couple of ladders to get up to the higher shelves.

Dawn twirled in amazement, looking up. "Wow! I have never seen so many books!"

Togekiss chirped happily at Dawn's enthusiasm. The young "princess" immediately went looking through the many bookshelves.

* * *

Meanwhile, Salvia had just left the servants' entrance with Piplup on her shoulder. She was amazed at the sight of the village just in front of her. She had always admired the quaint town from high up on her bedroom balcony.

Over in the distance to the west, she could see Cyrus' manor. She remembered the dark exterior and imagining that it was a haunted house when she was a little girl. Salvia took a deep breath and began to walk over to the brooding manor.

As she did, she would steal a glance at her right ring finger. It had a gold ring with a small ruby in the middle and the royal family crest of a Cresselia engraved around the red gemstone. It was her royal ring, the one thing that she would never leave behind, for it signified her status as a princess.

As she entered into the manor through the servants' entrance, Salvia was met with a girl a couple of years older than her. She had pale skin, gray eyes, and black hair tied into twin ponytails. She wore a worn brown work dress with light aqua trim. If Salvia remembered correctly from what Dawn told her, this was Candice, the head servant of the household.

"Oh, you're back, Dawn." Candice said. "Great." She reached into an apron pocket and pulled out a small list. "The master just handed me your chores for the day."

Salvia took the list and quickly read through it. "Where is the master now?" she asked, hoping that it didn't seem suspicious.

"He left a few minutes after you left for the castle." Candice explained, not noticing the uneasiness in Salvia's voice. "Oh, I'd better see what is going on in the kitchen. I'll see you at curfew." With that, she left down the hall.

Salvia looked back at the list. The first thing was to go to the market and get some meat. It seemed simple enough. "Well, let us get started, Piplup." she said to the Penguin Pokémon on her shoulder.

"Piplup!" the little Water type agreed.

* * *

Salvia wiped some sweat off of her forehead. She certainly had a busy day. After she got back from the market with the meat (and after some exploration thanks to her newfound freedom), she got to the other chores that she was assigned. She dusted the furniture, weeded the gardens, and now she was polishing the floors. It was still not as hard as she expected, but it wasn't easy, either. And it was tiring.

She looked down at her bucket and saw that the water was running low. "A little more water please, Piplup?" she asked.

Piplup chirped an affirmative and fired a Bubble Beam into the bucket, refilling it. Without Piplup, the chores would have been much harder.

Salvia dipped her washcloth into the refilled bucket and then began cleaning the floor again. After a few more minutes, she was done.

"Well, I believe that is everything." Salvia took the bucket, tossed the soapy water out the window, and placed it and the cloth back in the supply room.

Suddenly, she heard a rumbling sound. She turned around and saw Piplup rubbing his rumbly tummy. Salvia giggled.

"Okay, you." She picked up the little penguin. "How about we both have some supper?"

Piplup cheered with happiness, making the disguised princess giggle again. Then, they both headed over to the kitchen.

* * *

Back at the castle, Dawn was enjoying a good book in the library with Togekiss napping in the setting sun when a knock was heard. Dawn closed her book and saw that her feet were on the reading table. She immediately put them back on the floor and checked her dress for wrinkles. She had to keep up appearances if she wanted people to think that she was the princess.

"Come in." she said. The doors opened and Zoey came in.

"Your Highness, dinner is served." she said.

"Oh, thank you." Dawn said.

"Would you like it if you ate with the Queen tonight?" she asked. "Or you would have it in your room again?"

For a split second, Dawn was confused. But then she remembered that Salvia told her that she and her mother were not on the same page right now. Besides, if anyone would notice that Dawn was not Salvia with just a glance, it was Queen Johanna.

"Um... I would like it in my room, please." Dawn eventually replied.

"As you wish, Your Highness." Zoey turned to leave, but then remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot. Prince Ash of the Kanto Kingdom will be arriving tomorrow."

 _A prince?_ Dawn thought. _A real prince is coming here?_ Salvia forgot to mention that to her.

"All right." she said, trying to not sound excited. She stood up and began to leave the library with Togekiss behind her.

"Would you like me to escort you to your room, Your Highness?" Zoey asked.

"No, it's fine, Zoey." Dawn assured her and continued down the hall. But then, she saw a door that began to peak her curiosity. She opened it and was met with an amazing sight.

It was a magnificent ballroom with polished marble floors and the taupe beige walls were rounded and circled the room. There was a beautiful crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and the sun's rays were hitting the crystals just right, making specks of light dance across the room.

Togekiss gently nudged Dawn to snap her out of her reverie. She looked over at the Jubilant Pokémon. "You're right, Togekiss. We can stop by here another time." With that, Dawn closed the door and continued her walk to Salvia's bedroom.

Once they arrived and shut the door, the doppelganger princess was bursting at the seams. "I can't believe it, Togekiss!" she squealed. "A real prince! Coming here!"

"Toge, Togekiss." Togekiss tried to remind her in her own dialect.

Dawn's excitement then faded. "Oh, yeah. I forgot. Salvia told me that the other princes who came to court her were rude and conceited. Well, maybe this one's different."

"Toge." Togekiss shrugged, unsure.

Dawn then saw her dinner on Salvia's desk. There was a small bowl of creamy potato soup, a plate with a fried chicken breast with a side of steamed vegetables, and her drink was a sparkling apple cider in a silver goblet. She had never seen this much food for her in her life. She sat down and immediately began to eat.

* * *

Meanwhile, Salvia and Piplup were on the floor, exhausted. Their attempt to make some dinner ended with flying hot grease, burnt poffins, and dodging flying frying pans. They also had to clean everything up. Now she knew why Dawn looked half-starved when she had met her. The poor girl worked so hard and long that she probably didn't have time for some food.

"I guess cooking isn't so simple after all." she said to the Penguin Pokémon, who chirped an exasperated agreement.

Salvia heard her own stomach growl for the third time and Piplup's for probably the eighth. She stood up and noticed a basket of bread and apples. Well, it was better than nothing. She took a loaf and a couple of apples. She handed the fruits to Piplup, who eagerly began to eat them. She then started to eat the warm loaf, down to the last crumb.

Then the disguised princess saw the sun almost disappearing behind the horizon. It was time to head to bed. Salvia stood up and took Piplup in her arms. She then found her way to the sleeping quarters. Already, most of the other servants were retiring for the night. Piplup pointed to Dawn's mattress in the corner with his flipper.

 _Hmm. At least it is decent enough._ Salvia thought as she positioned herself on the worn mattress. As she waited for sleep to overtake her, which didn't take very long, she wondered on how Dawn was faring with royal life.

What Dawn was wondering right then back at the castle was how things could be any better. It was the life that she had always dreamed of and she never wanted to go back to being a servant. She wore a silken nightgown and was lying on a bed that was as soft as a cloud.

Both girls then thought the same thing before sleep overtook them: It had been a great first day, for this was freedom. Little did they know that the problems that came with their new lives would soon catch up with them!

* * *

 **MDM: Well, I think this longer chapter was enough for you guys. Hopefully.**

 _ **PokemonFreak90: And you won't have to wait much longer before Ash arrives! Will he be just like all of the other rude, conceited princes that Salvia rejected?**_

 **MDM: We'll find out soon. Whenever that might be. Until next time!**


	5. Meeting the Prince

Switching Lives

 **MDM: Holy smokes! Sorry for the long wait, you guys. We both had been pretty busy. But, we hope that this will be worth it.**

 _ **PokemonFreak90: Time to see what's next for Dawn as finally meets Ash. Roll it!**_

Chapter 4

Meeting the Prince

Early sunlight streamed through the castle's huge window and onto Dawn's sleeping form, making her stir. In her consciousness, she had the thought that yesterday was only a dream, and that when she opened her eyes, she would see that she was still a lowly servant in her own drafty sleeping quarters, snoozing on her worn mattress.

Instead, when her eyes adjusted, she saw the magnificent setting of Salvia's room. She slowly sat up, a smile spreading across her face.

"I'm glad that yesterday wasn't all a dream." she whispered to herself.

A tired coo was then heard as Togekiss woke up and began stretching her wings.

"Good morning, Togekiss." Dawn greeted, cheerfully.

The Fairy and Flying type chirped back in response with the same chipper tone and waddled over to a spot where the sunbeams were hitting the floor and began basking in it. While feeling the warmth of the sun, Togekiss began preening her periwinkle feathers to make sure that none were out of place. Like Salvia, Togekiss had to keep up her appearances.

Dawn smiled at the Jubilant Pokémon but then there was a knock on the door.

"Good morning, Princess. May I come in?" It was Zoey.

Remembering who she was pretending to be, the doppelganger princess sat up straighter in the bed, checked her hair to see if it wasn't a mess (thankfully, it wasn't), and answered, "Yes, come in."

The door opened and Zoey came in, carrying a silver tray full of food. She then placed it carefully on the bed. "Your breakfast, Your Highness."

Dawn looked gobsmacked for the second time as she looked at the large amount of food. There was a large bowl of oatmeal, an assortment of pastries; from biscuits to crepes, and a small bowl of fruit and berries. A small white porcelain tea cup was filled with creamy hot chocolate.

"Thank you," she said. "But this is too much food for me to eat. Would you like some, Zoey?"

The head servant was surprised by the kind offer. This had never happened before. The princess had never offered her own food to a servant! "Um, I-I couldn't, Your Highness."

But Dawn was persistent. "Please. There's maybe enough to feed the whole staff!" She took one of the biscuits. "Take one. I insist."

Hesitantly, Zoey took the biscuit and ate it. "Th-thank you, Princess."

The two of them ate together as they sat on the bed. Although she was confused, Zoey had to admit that she liked the way that the princess was treating her. Dawn also shared some fruit and berries with Togekiss.

As they finished breakfast, Zoey remembered something. "Oh, yes! Prince Ash will be arriving in a few hours. You'd best get ready soon."

"I will," the doppelganger princess assured her. "You may go now, Zoey."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Zoey curtsied and then left the bedroom.

After she was done eating, she cleaned herself up and put on the same pink gown, gloves, and tiara, having her hair in the style that she was wearing yesterday, with some difficulty in the beginning. As Dawn looked in the mirror, she took a deep breath.

What if this prince was just as awful as the many previous suitors that Salvia had told her about? Would she easily lose her temper and try to force him to leave? Maybe even risking her secret that she was really just Dawn and not Salvia? The thought of having her facade revealed caused her knees to get weak.

Togekiss saw that her fake mistress was getting nervous. She went over to her and nudged her side, giving her a reassuring trill. Dawn smiled and stroked the top feathers of the Fairy and Flying type.

 _Togekiss is right,_ she thought. _I can do this. It's only for a while. What's the worst that can happen?_

* * *

A couple of hours later, a royal carriage came up to the gates. Strangely, it seemed like just a normal carriage, only bearing the Kanto Kingdom flag. Whoever the prince was, he actually did keep to himself.

Dawn straightened herself with Togekiss by her side. She hoped that this would be easy.

The footman opened the carriage and a young man stepped out. Dawn felt frozen and her nervousness increased tenfold. The man was certainly attractive; with wild, raven black hair, chocolate brown eyes, and sandy tan skin, with birthmarks on his cheeks. He wore a simple navy blue outfit with a cape, dark brown boots, and navy gloves with a matching floppy hat on his head instead of a crown. He seemed to be adventurous, due to his appearance. But Dawn was still on her guard.

A rustling sound was then heard as a female servant came from the other side of the carriage, carrying three large bags in her arms that seemed quite heavy. She had pale skin, green eyes, red hair that was tied into a ponytail, and she wore a simple yellow work dress. Dawn noticed that her work clothes were much nicer than the rags that she wore back at Cyrus' manor.

The young man turned to her. "Are you sure you don't need any help, Misty?"

The servant, now known as Misty, shook her head. "No need, Your Highness. I have it under control."

The prince rolled his eyes and went over to her. "No, you don't, Misty. Let me help you."

Misty once again shook her head. "No, Your Highness. You're the prince."

The prince still didn't listen and took one of the bags. "So what? I am also your friend, and I insist that you let me help you."

Misty sighed in defeat and allowed the prince to carry the bag.

Dawn and Zoey, who was beside her and Togekiss, shared a confused glance. This prince was definitely unique. He didn't exactly dress like royalty and he would rather get his hands dirty to help a servant whom he calls a friend. He seemed very selfless, unlike the other princes that Salvia had described to Dawn.

"May I announce Prince Ash of the neighboring Kanto Kingdom." a page that was already waiting outside proclaimed as the said prince and his servant climbed up the stairs and they both bowed to Dawn.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess." Ash said to her as he straightened up and looked at her.

Dawn felt an unfamiliar heat spread across her cheeks at the sight of Ash and her brain felt like it had stopped functioning. Zoey saw that the doppelganger princess was frozen in place and although she was surprised, since this had never happened before, she lightly tapped her shoulder, snapping her out of her daze.

Dawn cleared her throat and gave a curtsy. "And to you as well, Prince Ash." She then turned to Zoey. "This is the head servant of the household, Zoey."

Zoey curtsied as well. "Your Highness."

Ash smiled kindly at her. "Nice to meet you." He then looked over at his own servant. "This is my friend, Misty."

Misty quickly curtsied to Dawn before she turned to him. "Your Highness, I am your personal servant and your mother's handmaiden, here to help you during your stay here." she corrected.

Ash sighed and said, "But you're also my oldest friend."

"Yes, I know." she answered.

"Pika-pi!" A cry came out. Everyone turned over to the direction of the cry and saw a cute little Pikachu jumping out of the carriage and leaping over to Ash. The prince laughed as the Electric type landed on his shoulder and began nuzzling his face.

"And this is Pikachu, my loyal Pokémon and my best friend." Ash added, petting the mouse with his free hand.

Dawn smiled at the strong bond that the prince and his Pikachu obviously shared. They definitely seemed close. She then felt a nudge from one of Togekiss' wings and remembered something.

"Uh, please come in. Zoey can show you to your rooms."

"Thank you." Ash said as he and Misty followed them into the castle.

* * *

Soon, after walking through marble-tiled hallways, all four arrived at Ash's room. There was a plush blue bed, a desk by the huge window, and a navy blue rug by the bed. A dark oak wardrobe was off in the corner.

"This is very nice." Ash said as he entered the room, looking around. He placed the luggage on the bed and Misty put the rest down.

"Your Highness, I can unpack your belongings while you spend some time with Princess Salvia." Misty said.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "You should find your own quarters first."

Misty smiled at him, brushing it off. "It's quite all right."

Zoey then spoke up. "I'll show her around, sire." she assured him. She and Misty unknowingly had the same goal to try and give the prince and princess some alone time to get to know each other.

Ash still was a little hesitant, but complied. "If you say so." He then turned over to Dawn. "So, what do you want to do first?" he asked.

Dawn quickly scrambled in her mind for an answer. "Well, how about we just head over to my room and talk for a little bit?" she suggested, hoping that it didn't sound weird.

Luckily for her, Ash smiled at her. "Sounds good to me."

The doppelganger princess breathed a silent sigh of relief. _So far, so good._ she thought as both of them left the room.

* * *

When they entered Salvia's room, Dawn sat on the bed while Ash brought up a chair. Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and cheerfully introduced himself to Togekiss, who returned the greeting. The two Pokémon then went over to the doors leading to the balcony and began their own conversation.

Dawn giggled at how well the two seemed to be getting along. "Well, it seems that those two are already friends." she observed.

Ash chuckled. "That's Pikachu for you. He can make friends with almost any Pokémon."

Dawn smiled. It seemed to be a sign that if Togekiss and Pikachu are getting along so well, then maybe it could work just as well with her and Ash.

"You know, you don't always have to act royally around me." Ash suddenly said. Dawn looked over to him, confused. "When it's just the two of us, you can just be yourself."

"Why do you want me to be myself?" she asked, not that she minded his offer.

Ash looked over at the window. "To be honest, I was against this whole thing at first. But my mother, she wants me to at least be seeing someone before she passes the throne down to me. I hate disappointing her, so I made a deal with her. If I can't find someone who would like me for me and I return it by the time I become king, then she won't pressure me into marriage."

Dawn's eyes slightly widened. He didn't want to come here in the beginning, either? Dawn then remembered that Salvia told her that Ash had not seen any other noble ladies before deciding to see her. So that explained why.

"So I want to know the real you, other than the princess that you are." he finished.

Dawn smiled softly. "I would really like that." she said.

This was great. He wanted to know the real her, so that meant that she won't have to act like Salvia all the time. Prince Ash was really something else after all.

"In that case, can I give you a quick tour of the castle?" she asked.

Ash grinned. "Yeah, I'd like that." They both stood up and started to leave the room. "That way, I won't get lost in here." he joked, making Dawn laugh.

* * *

Soon, the two were wandering through the halls again, admiring the many portraits and landscapes hanging on the beige walls.

Dawn then saw one landscape of a lush field filled with pink flowers. "This is one of my favorite paintings." she said. Luckily for her, she wasn't lying. The day before, she saw that painting and it truly was a work of art.

Ash took a long look at it. "Those are Gracidea flowers, right?" he asked.

"Yeah." Dawn said, but then quickly froze when she realized what she had said; indecent language for a princess. "I mean, yes, they are."

"Hey, what did I say about being yourself?" Ash teased with a smirk. That sly smile nearly made Dawn blush bright red. A prince was teasing her! He was a lot more easygoing than she had originally thought. But thankfully for her, she just rolled her eyes, returning the grin.

"I didn't forget." she answered.

Ash laughed, with Dawn joining in. When they stopped, he then asked, "So why are those flowers so well-known here in Sinnoh?"

Dawn raised an eyebrow, but then smirked. "I thought that they made royals learn almost a little bit of everything."

Ash rolled his eyes with a pout. "Hey, it's not my fault that they're actually pretty boring. I can't count how many times I fell asleep during those history lessons. If it was something much more exciting, then that would have kept me awake."

Dawn giggled, then began to explain. "Well, Gracideas are a symbol of gratitude for the people you care about. Also, they say that the Mythical Pokémon, Shaymin, uses the pollen from those flowers to change its form."

"Now that sounds familiar." Ash said, as they continued to walk down the hall. "If a lesson has something to do with Pokémon, then I can remember most of it."

Dawn laughed again, with Ash chuckling a bit as well.

* * *

Later that night, Zoey was walking down the hall when she heard laughing from behind the corner. Though it was against protocol, she couldn't help but feel curious. So she quickly snuck a peek and she was amazed by what she saw.

The prince and princess were actually talking and laughing with each other. And the princess seemed to be enjoying his company! From all of the previous suitors, she would just listen with a stoic face while the suitor tried to either make a move on her or try to draw her attention to him.

Soon, the two of them reached the bedroom door to the princess' room. "I've had a good time today, Ash." she said.

Zoey bit back her growing smile of ecstasy. Already on an informal first-name basis after one day? This was getting better and better.

"Me, too." Ash replied. "Will it be alright if Pikachu and I join you and Togekiss for breakfast tomorrow?"

"Salvia" returned the smile. "I'd love that, thank you."

"Good night, then."

With that, the two shook hands and she went into her room. Ash went further down the hall and into his own room.

Once the door shut, Zoey made a beeline to the queen's chambers and knocked. She would be most pleased to hear this.

"Enter." Johanna said from inside. Zoey entered into the suite and saw the ailing queen lying in her bed. "Zoey!" A faint but tired smile came on her face. "What brings you here this late, and with a smile on your face?"

"Your daughter, Princess Salvia, and Prince Ash seem to be off to a good start." she informed her, with her grin spreading from ear to ear.

Johanna blinked, thinking that she might've misheard. But then, her smile became more visible as she sighed happily, cuddling her head deep into the white plush pillow.

"At last." she quietly breathed, closing her eyes. "Hopefully, this keeps up."

"I agree." Zoey added. "May I now ask permission to leave?"

"Yes." Johanna said. "Good night Zoey."

Zoey then left the suite and the queen settled deep into her soft mattress with her smile still etched on her face. Finally, it seemed like things were looking up.

* * *

 _ **PokemonFreak90: Dawn and Ash meet and have really hit it off! Ash is completely different from the kind of prince that Dawn was expecting and they share a kindhearted nature towards their servants.**_

 _ **Is Salvia having an easy time living Dawn's life, since Dawn is having a wonderful time living hers? You'll have to wait and find out next time! (Dawn will also discover, for the first time, that being a princess isn't as easy as she thought!)**_

 **MDM: I agree with that. Hopefully, it won't be too long before we find out. Until then, please leave a review about what you guys think! This is MDM; got to fly! ;)**


	6. Growing Closer

Switching Lives

 **MDM: Geez! Sorry for another long wait! But, I had such a great day yesterday, and now, this chapter is finished.**

 **PokemonFreak90: Yeah, it's been too long! So we won't waste any more of your time. Roll it!**

Chapter 5

Growing Closer

Dawn had just closed the door behind her and she slightly slid down it with a smile. Today was like a dream, and all because of Ash.

Togekiss waddled over to the doppelganger princess and chirped at her curiously, wondering why she was so happy. Dawn rubbed the Fairy and Flying type's feathery forehead with her hand and started to walk around the room in a daze.

"Togekiss, I just can't believe it." she said. "Ash, he's... he's like no one I have ever met. He was definitely not what I had expected of a prince. He's nice to the servants, like I am with Zoey. He doesn't care that he is a royal when he goes to help someone, and he's so easy to talk to."

The Jubilee Pokémon trilled, seeing that there might have been a spark formed between them.

"He also has a strong connection with his Pokémon, like I do with Piplup back at the manor. Ash just acts like himself, flaws and all. And I feel like I don't have to pretend like I'm an actual princess around him." Unbeknownst to her, a small pink blush was spreading across her face.

"I don't know why, but every time I'm around him, although it wasn't many times, I feel like my face is blushing." She then stopped and turned to Togekiss. "Am I...blushing right now?"

Togekiss trilled, as if she was giggling, and that confirmed Dawn's suspicion. She felt her strawberry red face and tried to suppress her growing blush.

"Anyway," she continued, "He is just so... incredible."

Togekiss shook her feathery head. It was obvious that Dawn was falling for Prince Ash. Dawn fell down on her bed, feeling the happiest that she had ever been in her life. She thought that yesterday was the best day ever, but after meeting Ash, today definitely topped it.

The Fairy and Flying type went to her bed and nestled in it, feeling happy for her friend. She was glad that Ash wasn't like the other pompous princes that came to court Salvia. Pikachu also was very friendly, as she remembered the Electric type and the time that they spent together while Dawn and Ash were out on their own.

Dawn then sat up, her grin splitting her face. "I can't wait to see him again tomorrow!" she happily exclaimed, her smile still not leaving her face. "Then we can spend some more time together!" With that thought in her mind, she went with a skip in her step into Salvia's humongous closet to change.

When she emerged, she was dressed in a long, pink silk nightgown, feeling the most comfortable she had ever felt, since most of the time back in the manor, she always had to wear her work uniform, even to sleep. So this was such a nice change for her.

Dawn slowly slid into the soft mattress and plush blankets. As soon as her head hit the cloud-like pillow, she was out like a light.

* * *

The next morning, Dawn woke up with the early morning sun hitting her face. She felt like she hasn't stopped smiling since the night before. She blushed slightly when she remembered the dream that she had just been having. Ash was in it, and the two of them were out in a beautiful meadow, with pink flower petals dancing in the wind. When she had looked over at Ash, the sunlight picked that moment to shine behind him, lighting up his head like a halo.

Dawn didn't want the dream to end, but then, she had woken up. She turned to Togekiss, who was also stirring out of sleep, and having the sun warm her up while she preened her feathers.

"Oh my gosh!" Dawn suddenly remembered something. "I promised Ash that I would meet him for breakfast!" She excitedly threw her covers off and dashed into the huge closet.

Togekiss trilled with amusement at Dawn's enthusiasm. It was obviously that the doppelganger princess had fallen head over heels for that charming prince.

A few minutes later, Dawn emerged from the closet. She was dressed in a darker pink gown with small red bows. On her feet were matching low heeled shoes. Her midnight blue hair had been tied up into a ponytail with a matching hair tie.

A knock then sounded on the door. Dawn double-checked her hair and the skirt of her dress. Seeing that she was presentable enough, she turned back to the door. "Come in." she called.

The door opened and Zoey stood in the doorway. "Good morning, Your Highness." she greeted. "I see you are up early."

Dawn quickly began thinking of a response. The reason why she would wake up early was because as a maid, she had to rise early to begin morning chores, or else, no breakfast for her, though it was never much of a breakfast, anyway.

"Well, I suppose it's because I want to see A- Prince Ash again." she eventually answered. Technically, it wasn't a lie. She actually couldn't wait to see Ash again.

Zoey smiled. "I see." she responded. This had been going better than she had thought. Seeing how charmed the princess was with the prince, there just might be hope for a happily ever after. "Well, then. Let us head on to the dining room."

Dawn nodded and began to follow Zoey, with Togekiss waddling beside her.

* * *

Soon, the three of them had arrived in the dining hall. Along the beige walls, there were several beautifully colored portraits and landscapes. A long table stood in the center of the room, covered in a white tablecloth. Dawn turned her attention towards the far end of the table and there were two place settings already prepared. On the adjacent side, there were two bowls for the Pokémon. Dawn subtly scanned around the hall for Ash, but then realized that she was early.

Dawn sat down at one of the place settings, the one on the end of the table, since she remembered that Salvia had told her that royals usually sit at or close to the ends of the table. Togekiss then sat down on her right, where a bowl was placed for her.

After a couple of agonizing silent minutes, the doors opened and Ash entered the dining hall with Pikachu on his shoulder and Misty following behind him.

"Good morning." Ash greeted Dawn with a smile.

Dawn grinned back while feeling a faint blush on her cheeks. She hoped that he didn't see it. "Good morning."

Ash sat down at the other spare place setting while Pikachu hopped down and sat down in front of the other bowl.

"You look nice today." Ash said, looking over her attire.

Now Dawn knew that she was turning bright pink for sure, almost as pink as her dress. "Thank you." she said, shyly.

She quickly glanced at what Ash was wearing. He wore a plain and casual black suit with a matching fedora hat on his head. On his hands were white gloves.

Soon, servants entered into the hall, carrying silver trays with many plates of food for the two of them and berries for the Pokémon.

One servant spoke to the doppelganger princess. "We have made plenty in the kitchen, Your Highness. So if you or His Highness want more, just call for one of us."

"Thank you." Dawn said. The servant then bowed and then all of them left the dining hall.

There was piles of toast, scrambled, fried, and boiled eggs, fruits of every kind, and a pitcher of lemonade. Dawn wondered why not tea, but then she remembered that Salvia had told her that she doesn't like tea. There was also a large bowl of berries in the center of the table, along with different types of Pokémon food.

Dawn followed Ash's example of carefully getting food as she put food on her plate, keeping up her illusion of being royal, and began to eat. The two laughed as they watched Pikachu gobble up an Oran Berry.

"So...did you enjoy your room?" Dawn asked Ash, attempting to start a conversation.

"Yeah." Ash answered, after swallowing a bite of toast. "It was so comfortable, I felt like I couldn't get out of bed today."

Dawn slightly smiled, remembering her similar experience when she had an actual bed to sleep in. "Did you need anything else, or is everything fine?"

"No, I'm okay." Ash assured her.

Dawn then noticed, as she slowly drank some lemonade, that Ash's plate had three scoops of scrambled eggs, two pieces of toast, an apple on the side, and he had just finished his glass and was pouring himself more lemonade. "You do eat quite a lot." she observed, but then froze. That was so out of the blue, and to the point.

Ash glanced over at her and Dawn prepared for the worst. But instead, he just grinned sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, I do. Misty jokes that I have a black hole for a stomach, and I know she's right about that."

Both of them started laughing at that comment. Dawn kept her eyes on Ash as she did. Could he get any more amazing? His sense of humor only added to his charming personality. It was more evidence that he was unlike most other princes.

What neither of them knew was that Zoey and Misty were watching from behind the door that led to the kitchen. They knew that spying was not approved, but their curiosity had gotten the best of them.

"Things are going better than I thought." Zoey quietly said.

"I know!" Misty squealed quietly as she watched her master and friend interact with the princess. "They seem to be quite a couple."

"I agree." Zoey added. "Especially since Princess Salvia has turned down every royal who has come before Prince Ash."

Misty glanced at her, thinking about her words. She then turned back to the two royals, who were talking and laughing. Maybe those two would get along better than she had originally thought, too.

Soon, breakfast was over and the plates and bowls were empty. As the servants took the dirty dishes away to the kitchen to be washed, Zoey came up to Dawn.

"Your Highness, may I remind you that you have some duties to attend to today." she said.

The doppelganger princess slightly froze for a moment. How could she have forgotten about that? Salvia did tell her two days ago that there may be princess duties to do. But then she remembered that even princesses have responsibilities. But how hard could it really be? It certainly must be easier than her chores back at the manor.

"Alright then, Zoey." she eventually replied, hoping that it was an appropriate answer. Luckily for her, it seemed so.

"Yes." Zoey said. "Now, I've had some of the servants get some books and other resources that you will need for your studies, since your tutor is unfortunately ill today. Remember what you need to know: the laws of the kingdom and all of the countries that we have relations with."

Dawn slightly smiled. She did love to read whenever she got the chance. When she would clean and dust the books in the library at the manor, she would spare a couple of minutes to read a couple of the books.

"Okay. Thank you, Zoey." Dawn said to her, and stood up from her seat. Ash then got up from his. "Sorry, but as you can see..." Dawn began apologizing to him.

But Ash only smiled and brushed it off. "No, that's okay. I'll see you around, Princess."

With his smile bright, he held out his arm to Pikachu. The little Electric type stuffed one more Sitrus Berry into his mouth and then quickly scampered up to the prince's right shoulder. Both of them then left the dining hall.

Dawn felt her face grow warmer as she watched them leave. But she couldn't swoon right now. Not when she had more important things to do than staring at Ash. Dawn excused herself and then gestured to Togekiss to follow her.

Once the two of them left the dining hall, the doppelganger princess turned to the Fairy and Flying type. "Come on, Togekiss." she said. "Let's go to the library."

Togekiss trilled and then followed Dawn to the library. Once she opened the doors, she was shocked to see the large pile of books piled on one of the desks.

"Oh boy." Dawn nervously whispered to herself.

* * *

After a couple of hours, Ash and Pikachu were wandering through the hallways of the castle. They had spent the time outside, working on their battle techniques, and luckily enough for them, there was a battlefield beside the castle to train on, too.

A loud and exasperated groan caught their attention. Ash saw that one of the library doors was slightly left ajar. He and Pikachu peered inside and saw that "Salvia" was banging her head against an open book while many other books that were also open were scattered across the desk that she was sitting at. Togekiss was trilling at her, not liking this, either.

Ash slightly snickered, making the doppelganger princess sit straight up and turn to the doorway, and he entered the library.

Dawn was very surprised to see him. "A-Ash." she slightly stuttered, hoping that he didn't see her act of unroyalty. "What...what are you doing here?"

"Pikachu and I were just outside, working on our battling skills." Ash explained. "We're taking a little break right now, and were just walking around until we heard you groan in here."

He then glanced over at the books. "Not much of a bookworm?" he asked.

Dawn looked back towards the pile of books. "Don't get me wrong, I like reading, but even I have my limits."

Ash laughed and said, "I hear you. I'm not exactly the studious type, either. Sometimes, though, I do enjoy a good book, but put me in a study group that doesn't involve interaction, and I fall asleep for a good three hours."

Dawn giggled as she pictured that image in her mind.

"So, is this part of your preparation to take the throne?" Ash asked.

Remembering that Salvia was getting herself ready to rule Sinnoh after the Queen passed away, Dawn nodded, looking down at her feet while putting on a sad face. Ash then got himself a little closer to her, but still maintained a proper enough distance.

"I remember when I had to learn stuff like that." Dawn looked up at him, a little surprised. "Back in Kanto, my mom had to always remind me to learn about our laws, traditions, and relations with other regions." he explained. "Personally, I learn things better through actions and experience, rather than with lots of reading." He then walked over to the desk and started putting the books back in a neat pile. "Maybe that could work for you, too. Want to try it out? It wouldn't be as frustrating or boring."

Dawn was shocked. Just when she thought that he couldn't get any more amazing, he had just become more so! Ash was willing to go out of his way just to help her study? "Why are you doing this for me?" she hesitantly asked. "You're a guest here."

Ash smiled at her and said, "Ruling a kingdom is a big job, no matter what other people think. And sometimes, even royalty needs help. My mom helped me come up with a way to help me learn this stuff when I was struggling. Now, I'm helping you."

Dawn thought about that for a couple of long seconds. Ash did have a point. Even though she wasn't the real princess, she still needed to keep up the act until she and Salvia switched back. Besides, if Salvia and Ash were to be wed, then they would need to start working together, since they might be ruling the kingdom together. Ignoring the strange prick in her heart at the thought of Ash marrying the real Salvia, she glanced over at the Pokémon. Togekiss trilled at her with encouragement while Pikachu gave her a cute chirp of agreement. Dawn then turned back to Ash, who was smiling brightly at her, and she nodded.

* * *

When the sun had set that day and the moon had climbed up into the sky, Dawn was ready to just slump back in her seat with relief. Who knew that there was so much to learn about a kingdom? She had learned of some relation ties, some laws that she didn't quite understand back when she was a maid, and some other traditions that royalty needed to know.

Luckily for her, Ash was right there to help her. If she got something wrong, Ash would just chuckle and gently correct her until she got it right. The first time he did that, Dawn was a little surprised. Usually, when Cyrus saw that she did something that wasn't good enough for him, he would either scold or punish her. But Ash, even though he technically had a higher position than her, would further help her, kind of like how a loving husband would treat his wife.

A betraying thought then went through her mind, thinking that Ash was only being nice because they might get married in the future. Well, not her, but Salvia. With that thought in her mind, she carefully asked him, "Ash, why are you being so nice to me?"

The prince looked at her curiously, but then gave her a bright smile. "Well, we're friends, right?" he asked her, taking her aback. "Even if we don't eventually end up married, we can still be friends."

Dawn returned his smile shyly and then turned her focus back on her studies. He did have a point. He was mainly there to see if there could be a marriage between them, but if it couldn't work, then at least they could be still be friends. Having been a servant for her entire life, friends were something that Dawn was very short on.

Soon, Ash decided to stop. "I think it's a good time for a break." he said, glancing over at the pile of books. It had decreased significantly, but there were still quite a few left. "We still have a way to go, but let's just take it slowly for the next couple of days."

"I agree." Dawn said, slightly stretching her stiff arms. She then turned to the prince. "Thank you for all of your help today, Ash."

Ash softly grinned at her. "No problem, Salvia."

A sleepy Pikachu stirred from his nap next to Togekiss and crawled up on Ash's shoulder. The larger Pokémon then waddled up to the doppelganger princess and they all left the library.

When they arrived at her room, Dawn lingered in the open doorway a little as Togekiss headed inside. The disguised servant then turned to the prince. "Goodnight, Ash." she said.

"Goodnight, Princess." Ash replied. He then took her right hand and gently placed a kiss on the top of it.

Dawn felt her heart skip a couple of beats. No man had ever done something like that to her. In order to calm herself, she spoke up. "I look forward to tomorrow."

"As do I." Ash added, and then walked down the hallway towards his own room.

Dawn closed the door behind her and then collapsed on the large bed. "This has to be the hardest day since I switched places with Salvia." she said to herself. "I guess being a princess has its challenges, too. But at least I had Ash to help me."

With that thought in her head, she changed back into her nightgown, climbed into bed, and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

 **PokemonFreak90: Dawn sees for the first time that being a princess isn't as easy as she thought. Luckily for her, Ash went out of his way to help her, which is just another reason why she's clearly falling in love with him!**

 **But how long will her feelings last, since she knows that she can't ever be with him because she's not Salvia?**

 **MDM: I'm hoping that things won't be that bad. Until then, we'll have to wait and see.**

 **All right, then. We hoped that y'all have enjoyed this chapter. Hopefully, the next one won't take as long, but we'll have to see. Like everyone else, we have lives. Personally, if I could spend almost all of my time writing stories, I would.**

 **That aside, we'll see you guys! Please leave a review about what you think!**

 **Got to fly! ;)**


	7. Salvia's Discovery

Switching Lives

 **MDM: Hey, this is actually earlier than I thought we would update this story! I hope it was worth it, though.**

 **PokemonFreak90: We've spent some time looking at Dawn and Ash, so in this chapter, let's see how Salvia is doing. Roll it!**

Chapter 6

Salvia's Discovery

The next day, Salvia got out of the cot that Dawn had used as her bed and stretched her sore limbs and back. Her stomach growled loudly, making her sigh deeply.

Yesterday was really tiresome for her. She had barely eaten anything that day, just an apple and a slice of bread for breakfast before chores were thrown at her left and right. She had to sweep the floors, weed the gardens, wax the tables, polish the silver, do laundry, and that's just to name a few! At the end of the day, which was past midnight actually, Salvia didn't have enough time for a shower, so Piplup just used a gentle Bubblebeam to wash her hair before she laid down for only a few hours of rest.

It was right then when Salvia realized just how hard Dawn must have it, living like this. Breakfast was her only real meal, lunch didn't seem to exist in the manor, and for dinner, it was the scraps from the dining table. Unluckily for her, she was much too tired to even eat leftovers, so she went to sleep that night with an empty stomach.

Salvia rubbed her eyes tiredly before Piplup used a Bubblebeam on her face to wake her up completely.

"Thank you, Piplup." she said to the little Water type.

The Penguin Pokémon chirped proudly. Salvia smiled before she left her quarters to start another day of hard work.

After stumbling slightly into the kitchen, Salvia greeted Candice, who had managed to save her half a loaf of bread and a small wedge of cheese.

"Here you go, Dawn." Candice said, handing her the food. "Best eat it quickly before the master calls for you."

Salvia nodded. "Yes, of course." she said, and took the bread and cheese.

Candice watched her friend eat heartily. She unfortunately didn't eat much yesterday, so it was no wonder that she would be starving. But still, there was something off about 'Dawn' that she couldn't quite put a finger on.

In a matter of minutes, Salvia had finished her breakfast and sighed happily, no longer feeling any stomach pains. She would never take her food back home at the palace for granted again! Still, she couldn't believe that some servants in the kingdom lived like this. Zoey and the servants in the palace were always allowed to have enough food for themselves and were always given breaks to have time to eat.

Piplup finished an apple before he tugged on Salvia's dress. The disguised princess looked down at her companion. The little Water type then pointed to the kitchen sink and Salvia followed the gaze. The sink was filled with piles of dirty dishes, pots, and pans.

"Well, I suppose that is my first chore today." Salvia said.

* * *

Soon, the dishes were cleaned and put away in the cupboards. Salvia wiped her wet hands on her dress. Just then, a servant poked his head into the kitchen.

"Dawn!" he called her attention, "Lord Cyrus wants to see you in the library."

Salvia felt her blood run cold for a second. Back when she was a princess, she remembered the few meetings that her mother and Cyrus would have. His stoic and stern demeanor always gave Salvia chills down her spine, though she managed to keep up her royal appearance.

But now was not the time to get nervous. Salvia took a deep breath. "All right. I'm on my way." she answered. Then, she left the kitchen with Piplup waddling behind her.

Luckily for Salvia, she knew where the library was, because one of her chores on the day before was to dust every book in there. But it did give her an excuse to do a little reading when she was done.

The disguised princess entered the library. It wasn't as huge as the library back in the castle, but bookshelves still towered against the walls. The floor was carpeted with a large royal blue rug and there was a carved birch desk in one of the corners of the room.

Sitting down at the desk, looking through some papers, was Lord Cyrus himself. He had a stern face, with spiky cerculean hair, cold gray eyes, and wore a dark gray suit.

Cyrus looked up from his papers and saw Dawn walking up to him slowly. Then she stood in front of his desk and bowed her head.

"You wanted to see me, my lord?" she asked.

"Yes." Cyrus said. Salvia once again felt chills go down her back when she heard his gruff voice. "I've gotten complaints from some of the servants that we are running low on food already. And you went to get some more only a week ago, am I correct?"

Salvia slowly raised up her head to look Cyrus in the face. Feeling a little more nervous than before, she gave him an answer. "Yes."

Although, she didn't remember if Dawn had told her much about her previous chores, such as getting more food. But it was best to just go along with what was being said, just so that she could hopefully avoid getting into trouble.

Cyrus looked at Dawn curiously. "Well, it seems that you will have to take another trip into the village today." he said.

Salvia perked up a little bit. She hadn't been down to the village before. At least she wasn't one of those royals that hadn't left their castles at all.

Cyrus looked up from his paper again to see 'Dawn' light up a little bit. He slightly raised an eyebrow. She almost never showed any signs of happiness. "Why are you smiling, Dawn?" he said coldly, but not angrily.

Salvia realized her little flaw and quickly erased her smile from her face. "Um...no reason, my lord." she said, curtsying again while lowering her head.

Cyrus was still a little bit confused. Dawn usually didn't act so polite and she seemed a little bit more brave than usual.

"Very well, then." he said. "After you do the draperies, Candice will accompany you to town."

Salvia nodded. "Yes, my lord. Am I excused now?"

"Yes, you may go now." Cyrus said, waving his hand towards the library doors.

Salvia curtsied once more before she walked out of the library. But she had a feeling that Cyrus was keeping his eyes on her as she left. Once Salvia closed the doors behind her, she let out a deep breath that she didn't know she was holding in.

Piplup came up to the disguised princess. " _Piplup?_ " he chirped worriedly.

Salvia knelt down to the little Water type's level. "I'm all right, Piplup." she assured the Penguin Pokémon. "It's just that Cyrus has always rubbed me the wrong way." She then stood up. "Let us be off now. We have draperies to do."

Piplup chirped with confidence and the disguised princess took him in her arms and started down towards the laundry room.

However, just as she left to take a right in another hallway, a man with blue hair sticking up in the air in three points, fair skin, and blue eyes, dressed in a nice black casual suit, took a spot in front of the library doors. He then knocked on the door.

"Enter." Cyrus called from inside the room, and the man came in, closing the doors behind him.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" the man asked.

"Yes." Cyrus said, standing up from his desk. "I want you to keep an eye on Dawn. Don't let her out of your sight."

"Why?" the man asked. "That servant girl may deserve slightly more strict punishments, but she hasn't really caused much trouble."

"No." Cyrus answered. "But today, there is something off about her. Something familiar. I want you to find out what it is. Stay out of sight and stay close to her."

"Yes, sir." the man conceded, bowing his head.

Cyrus smiled coldly. "Thank you, Saturn."

* * *

Candice was pretty much laughing uncontrollably as 'Dawn' fell face-first into the soapy washing pot. The blunette removed her face from the pot and wiped away a little bit of the bubbly suds and water, glaring slightly at the older girl. But then, she began laughing as well. Despite Salvia's clumsiness, they managed to get all of the draperies done and hang them outside to dry.

Salvia wiped some excess water from her bangs. "Well, that wasn't so much of a chore."

Candice looked at her strangely from the corner of her eye, pretending to focus on hanging the drapes to dry. Ever since 'Dawn' came back from her errand to the castle, she had been acting a little unusual. She was a little too eager to begin her chores, and even though she was tired at the end of the day, she would always smile and just fall asleep on her cot. She was never this pleasant about her life.

"Well, now." Salvia said as she turned towards Candice, getting the older girl out of her thoughts, "Shall we be on our way to the village?"

"Yes, I think so." Candice said.

Salvia grinned and took Piplup in her arms, placing him on her shoulder. She then grabbed a nearby basket.

"Then let's go." Salvia said, before she started towards the gates of the manor.

Candice looked at 'Dawn' strangely again, but then rolled her eyes. 'Dawn' always did like going to the village, despite its condition. It was the one place that she could go where she wouldn't have to worry about Cyrus.

A few minutes later, Salvia couldn't believe her eyes. The village was not really terrible, but looking very sad. The people walking around the streets were starving, some had dirt and ash smeared on their faces, and there were mud puddles everywhere. Some people didn't even have a home, so they were sitting on the road, begging for money or scraps of food.

Tears began to spring into her eyes. "Piplup, how could this have happened?" she whispered to the little Water type on her shoulder. Living in the castle her whole life, she wasn't expecting the village to be like this.

The Penguin Pokémon just nuzzled the disguised princess with his beak, reassuring her. He knew that she couldn't have known about this because she had more personal worries to handle while living in the castle.

A hand then came onto Salvia's other shoulder. She looked up and saw Candice looking down at her.

"Are you okay, Dawn?" she asked. She was getting more confused. Dawn had been down to the village many times before, but now she was acting like she was seeing it for the first time.

The disguised princess thought quickly of an answer. "It's just...every time that I see the village, it still makes me feel very sad to see everyone suffering like this."

Candice nodded sadly and said, "Yes, it is. Ever since Queen Johanna fell ill, the whole kingdom has started to fall apart, since she's not strong enough to rule anymore. A lot of the rich still live their normal lives, Master Cyrus included, while everyone else in the kingdom began to lose everything."

Salvia felt a strike of realization hit her. Her mother would usually make sure that the people were thriving and living happily. But now that she was bedridden and not getting any better, it was harder for her to look after the kingdom and her subjects. The rich remained at play, living their pish-posh lives, while everyone else had to struggle just to survive.

Seeing everyone like this, Salvia made herself a promise: When she took the throne, she would be the kind, wise, and benevolent ruler that her mother raised her to be, just like she was, and restore the kingdom to its former glory and beauty. Johanna wouldn't want the kingdom to look like this and Salvia knew that for a fact!

Salvia then realized that had she escaped her royal life and snuck out of the castle to experience what freedom is, and to be normal, and not have people wait on her every single day of her life. But now, seeing the suffering state that the people were living in, she now realized how important her birthright really was. It was up to her to prevent this from happening and she didn't wish this sad way of life on any of her subjects.

"Come on." she said, a determined look gleaming in her eyes. "Let us be on our way."

Candice nodded and the two girls walked into the village.

* * *

 **PokemonFreak90: It seems like Cyrus is getting suspicious of Salvia, due to her different attitude from Dawn's!**

 **Also, Salvia has seen, for the first time, the sad state that her kingdom is in, due to her mother's illness making it difficult for her to rule. This has given the princess a renewed sense of purpose as she sees just how important her role as the future queen is, and she vows to restore Sinnoh to its former glory and beauty once she's the new queen.**

 **Salvia's journey through the village will continue in the next chapter as she tries to help some people, and she makes a new Pokemon friend!**

 **MDM: That's right! I hope that y'all will stick around to find out! Please leave a review about what you think.**

 **Got to fly! ;)**


	8. Making a Stand

Switching Lives

 **MDM: Holy smokes! Sorry for taking a long time. But things have been pretty busy with school finishing up for the summer. But I hope you all have been patient.**

 **PokemonFreak90: Yeah, I've been anxious to get back to work on this story! So, we won't keep you longer! Roll it!**

Chapter 7

Making a Stand

As Salvia and Candice walked through the village, the sad conditions of the people only made the disguised princess even more sorry for them, feeling her heart bleeding for them. But it wasn't just the people, the Pokémon were also suffering. Salvia wished that there was something she could do. Unfortunately, with her appearance at that moment, there probably wasn't much. Still, in her mind, she vowed once again to restore her kingdom to its former state once she became the queen.

Soon, she and Candice arrived at the marketplace. At least there was still food being sold. The only problem was that not very many people could afford to pay for it.

Suddenly, there was a ruckus from one of the fruit stands. Two teenage kids were chasing a dirty Glameow, who had an apple in its mouth. It likely stole it from the stand and was now making a break for it.

"Get back here, you dirty cat!" the teenage boy shouted after the Glameow, his female partner following suit.

That did it. Salvia knew that she couldn't just stand there and do nothing. She gave Candice her basket.

"I'll be right back!" she told her as she took off running after the two teenagers and the Glameow.

"Dawn, wait!" Candice called after the disguised princess. But Salvia was already out of sight, with Piplup hanging tight onto her head. Candice quickly went after her.

Salvia followed the two teenagers and the Glameow into a dark corner of an alley, where the Normal type had no chance of escape.

"Got ya now!" The boy said.

The girl stomped over to the Glameow and tugged the apple away from the starving Pokémon. "Get out of here now!" she shouted. "We don't need another mouth to feed!"

"Stop right there!" Salvia shouted, using her authoritative voice. The two teenagers turned to look at her.

"This street Pokémon stole a fruit from our stand." The boy explained. "We only sell what we are able to sell without letting ourselves go hungry."

"Can't you see that the poor thing is starving?" Salvia asked, walking over to the Glameow. The cat Pokémon backed away a little bit, nervous about the new person.

"It's alright." Salvia said gently. "I'm not going to hurt you." She reached into the pocket of her apron and pulled out a slice of bread. "I'm not going to eat this. I want you to have it."

The Glameow cautiously walked up to Salvia and the bread that was in her hand. It looked up to Piplup, who nodded to it in reassurance. The Normal type then sniffed the pastry and meowed in delight as it began to gobble up the slice of bread. Salvia giggled as she watched.

"Wasn't that your lunch?" The girl asked Salvia, but she didn't sound angry. Instead, she was curious.

Salvia nodded and said, "Although people don't have much themselves, they should at least give some of it to those who have nothing at all."

"I wish that were possible." The boy said. "The ones with the most food to sell are the traveling merchants. But hardly anyone has enough money to buy their items."

Salvia had a look of determination on her face. "I might be able to fix that." she said. "Follow me!"

With that, she took off running again, with the teenagers and the Glameow following behind her. They even passed by Candice, who just groaned and began to follow them again. Soon, everyone was back in the marketplace.

"Which one is one of the merchants?" Salvia asked the teenage boy.

"Over there." The boy pointed to a man who had a cart filled with baked goods. Salvia went over to him.

"Excuse me, sir. Would you mind if you share all that you have to offer here?"

"What makes you think that I'll do that, servant girl?" The merchant demanded.

Salvia opened her mouth to retort back, but she quickly looked over her attire and saw that she indeed was still a servant girl and not Princess Salvia.

 _Or maybe not._ She thought, when her eye caught something on her right ring finger. The ring that placed there was small and golden with a small blue diamond in the middle with the royal crest reflected inside. Her royal ring, which symbolized her position and what she'd never leave behind, might be able to change his mind.

 _But then, my one taste of freedom will come to an abrupt end and Dawn will be in danger._ Another voice in her head said.

Salvia, however, pushed away those thoughts. Right now, there were more important things than being free. She knew that a true ruler's duty was to put her subjects' wants and needs before her own.

"By order of Her Royal Highness, Princess Salvia, and your future queen." Salvia said proudly, stepping up.

The merchant laughed, while Candice and the two teenagers were confused. "And what makes you think you're the princess?" he asked Salvia.

 _Here we go._ she thought. _No turning back now._

"With this." She held up her hand that had the ring and showed it to the merchant. The man's eyes widened. That ring bore the royal crest and only two were ever made. Since the queen was ill and much too weak to make the journey, that could only mean that this girl was telling the truth.

The merchant bowed down. "Your Highness, forgive me!" he said. "I didn't recognize you."

Salvia lowered her hand. "Rise." she said. "It's quite alright, my good sir. I had to disguise myself so that I could see for myself the conditions of my people. I have learned and seen that they are suffering, but I plan to change that."

"They would be most grateful, Your Highness." the merchant said. By now, a crowd had begun to gather.

Salvia smiled. "Now, about that share. You give what you can give and when I get back to the castle, I'll make sure that you get your pay."

"Of course, princess." the merchant said. The crowd began cheering as Salvia grabbed some of the bread and started to give them to the people, one by one.

The teenage kids came up to Salvia. "Thank you, Your Highness." The boy said.

"You'll make a wonderful queen someday." the girl added.

Salvia blushed. "Thank you both. Now go and get your share." The kids brightened up and headed to the stand.

Glameow came up to the disguised princess and purred at her, rubbing against her servant's dress.

Salvia giggled. "Of course I haven't forgotten about you." she said, handing it a piece of bread. Glameow gratefully took it and ate it while Salvia petted it.

Candice was in shock the whole time. Dawn wasn't really Dawn this entire time! She was actually Princess Salvia! That explained everything! Her strange, cheerful behavior, her shock when she saw the village, it all made sense.

But then, another thought came to her head: If Salvia was pretending to be Dawn, then that would mean that Dawn was pretending to be the princess. But why did those two look so similar? As Candice dwelled on that thought, she noticed that they both had the same midnight blue hair, sapphire blue eyes, and fair skin. How was it possible?

Unbeknownst to everyone at the joyful scene, Saturn was watching everything from behind a house. He had a look of surprise on his face, but it quickly morphed into a sinister smirk.

"Master Cyrus is going to love hearing about this." he whispered to himself before he disappeared behind the crumbling building.

* * *

 **PokemonFreak90: It looks like Salvia's secret is out! What will this mean for the princess for the rest of the story?**

 **Still, Salvia uses her power as the princess to help out the people of her kingdom and even makes a new Pokémon friend along the way! Glameow will be staying with her from now on.**

 **Be sure to stay tuned for the next chapter, where Dawn will make a new Pokémon friend, too! Can you guess who it will be?**

 **MDM: Leave your guesses in the reviews! Until then, we'll see y'all!**

 **Got to fly! ;)**


	9. New Friendship on Castle Grounds

Switching Lives

 **PokemonFreak90: Full disclosure, I am NOT responsible for this story's 10-month delay between updates! We had the outline for this chapter planned as soon as the last one was finished! Jokes aside, hopefully this story will have more frequent updates from now on, so that we can get these chapters out to you loyal readers faster!**

 **MDM: Hey! I've already apologized for such a long delay three times already! I have so many other projects that I want to get out of the way so that I could have some breathing room, and school isn't exactly helping either.**

 **Anyway, you're right. We've waited long enough. Let's get on with Chapter 8! Roll it!**

Chapter 8

New Friendship on Castle Grounds

Meanwhile, back at the castle, the doppelganger princess Dawn was back in the library, surrounded by piles of books and maps. She groaned and resisted the urge to plant her face onto the surface of the study desk.

"This is exhausting..." she moaned.

Sitting next to her was Ash, holding a large book in his arms. Seeing her reaction, he chuckled. "I know. This is pretty annoying. But it just happens to be part of being royalty."

"Doesn't exactly help the situation now, Ash." Dawn grumbled, burying her face in her arms.

Ash laughed again at her retort before closing the book and placing it back on the desk. "You're a funny girl, Salvia. How about we both take a little break?"

Dawn lifted her head up to look at him. "Best idea I've heard all day." she said. They then both stood up from their chairs. "Thanks again, Ash. For all of your help."

Before he could respond, she threw her arms around him, giving him a grateful hug. Ash was a little surprised, given that it was usually informal for a princess to suddenly hug someone out of nowhere, but he eventually returned it, holding her around her waist. He couldn't deny that he was enjoying this hug.

But then, after a few seconds, Dawn realized what she had just done. She quickly broke away from him, her cheeks turning a bright pink.

"Ah! I-I'm sorry!" she stammered. "I-I shouldn't h-have d-done that."

Ash laughed again, this time a little more hearty and real than the polite chuckles before. "It's okay." he reassured the mortified girl. "We're friends. It should be a little common than if we were strangers."

Dawn felt the embarrassment leave her body, but was instead replaced with a warmth rushing through her, and her cheeks turned a much softer rose color, though she hoped that it wasn't visible. He, a prince, considered her, a commoner pretending to be a princess, a friend? It sounded like it was almost too good to be true!

However, Ash took her silence as uncertainty. "We are friends, right?" he asked, now sounding nervous.

Dawn quickly snapped out of her trance to answer him. "Yes, of course we are friends." she assured him.

The smile he gave her was enough to make her blush even pinker, but she returned it just as bright. Dawn was happy that someone was showing her more care than anyone else had done during her life thus far.

* * *

Soon after, they went their separate ways to take their break and Dawn found herself wandering outside in the palace gardens. She had never seen such beautiful plants and flowers in her life. All of them were healthy, the flowers had such bright colors, and the perfect and delicate fragrance was enough to make her want to curl up somewhere and just take a nap.

She took a deep breath through her nose. "This is all so beautiful." she said. "Don't you think so, Togekiss?"

The Flying and Fairy type trilled happily, agreeing with her. Dawn giggled at that.

Suddenly, there was a rustling sound coming from inside one of the Berry bushes. Dawn cautiously walked up to it, curious. Then, there were two fluffy ears popping out of the shrubbery, and then a whole Pokémon. It was a Buneary.

Dawn smiled at the cute Normal type. "Hello there!" she greeted it cheerfully. "Are you hungry?"

The Buneary titled its head in confusion at this human being so kind to it, a wild Pokémon. Carefully, it hopped up to her.

Dawn grabbed an Oran Berry from the bush and gave it to the Buneary. "Here. It's alright."

Buneary looked at the Berry and then up to the doppelganger princess. It then looked at Togekiss, who trilled happily at it while nodding. Buneary chirped in agreement and then grabbed the Berry, eating it quickly. Dawn smiled at how cute it looked while eating. Buneary returned the smile once it had finished the Berry.

Suddenly, there was a chuckle from nearby. Dawn looked over in that direction with surprise and was shocked to find Ash standing there.

"You do remind me of myself a bit." he said, a smirk dancing on the corner of his lips.

Dawn blushed as she shakily stood up. "W-What do you mean?" she asked.

Ash smiled fondly. "Back home in Kanto, I've made friends with all sorts of Pokémon in the same way that you do." he explained. "To be honest, I thought that I was the only one who could do that. And I've been made fun of because of that, when I was a kid."

Dawn bit her lip in anger. "Just because you could easily befriend anyone who comes your way, even a Pokémon?" she asked in disbelief. "That's certainly no excuse! Quite the opposite, you should've been praised for your natural talent and charm!"

Ash stared at her in surprise, a strange and unfamiliar heat to him rushing towards his face, resulting in a delicate blush. Dawn, in turn, flushed a brighter red.

"Ah, I-I mean, uh, well, you still didn't deserve it just because you're d-different." she stammered. It was probably informal of her to speak that forcefully to a guest.

Feeling a sudden surge of confidence, Ash decided to tease her a bit. "What do you think makes me different?" he asked.

Now Dawn was sure her that face resembled a Tamato Berry. Togekiss just smiled fondly at the doppelganger princess acting so flustered. Buneary was only watching the exchange with curious eyes. It certainly was interesting.

"W-Well, for one, you want us to be friends first before seeing if there could…be something there between us." Dawn said, her blush slowly receding.

"Go on." said Ash.

Mustering some more confidence, Dawn continued. "And you're definitely more respectful than S- I mean...my other suitors. And we both want similar things in marriage, if it ever comes to that point."

"I guess so." Ash replied.

Suddenly, Dawn saw Zoey, who seemed to be looking for her. "Zoey!" she called to her.

The red-haired servant heard her name and saw that the princess was the one who called her. She quickly ran over to her. "There you are, Your Highness." she said.

"Can you please take this Buneary inside and see that it is properly fed?" Dawn ordered kindly, kneeling back down to the Normal type.

"But Your Highness..." Zoey tried to cut in.

"Please?" Dawn continued to ask, her voice a bit more firm, but still kind and polite.

Zoey reluctantly held back what she wanted to say. "As you wish, Your Highness." She was about to kneel down and pick up Buneary when a cheerful chirp was heard.

" _Pika-pi!_ "

Ash perked up when he heard that voice. Everyone looked up and saw Ash's Pikachu waving down at them from above in one of the fruit trees. He jumped off, his form sparkling in the sunlight, getting Buneary's attention. She watched with awe as the Electric type did multiple flips in the air before he landed on his master's arm, that was outstretched for him to land on.

" _Pi-Pikachu!_ " he exclaimed proudly, posing for his latest feat.

" _Buneary!_ " The Rabbit Pokémon's eyes sparkled with admiration as she gazed up at Pikachu.

"Nice moves, Pikachu!" Ash complimented his partner. He then began scratching him under the chin gently, making the Electric type squeal in pleasure. "Your speed is getting better and better."

Dawn smiled at the touching scene between the prince and his Pokémon. She then glanced down at Buneary and saw that her new friend's eyes were glittering with an emotion that she had only seen a couple of times. She looked in the direction where the Normal type was staring, and then had a knowing smirk on her face.

Pikachu finally noticed the other Pokémon that was there and he waved to her. " _Pika, pika!_ " he greeted her cheerfully.

Buneary's face got a bright pink blush on it and she shyly hid her face in her fur, making the Electric type a bit confused.

"Hey, what's up with Buneary?" Ash asked, noticing the Normal type's strange behavior.

Dawn giggled. "Well, I think this little one has a crush on your Pikachu." she said, making the Rabbit Pokémon bury her face deeper in her fluffy fur and squirming with nervousness. It was clear that love at first sight actually could happen.

Pikachu still looked a little confused, but then the realization hit him like a Brick Break to the head. He looked a little uncomfortable, but then jumped down from Ash's shoulder to get down to her level.

" _Pika, Pikachu._ " He tried to be casual, knowing that he had to be gentle at first, knowing that the Normal type was exceedingly shy around him now.

Buneary peeked up from her fur, her cheeks still pink, to look at the Electric Mouse. " _Bun-eary._ " she answered in their own language.

Ash chuckled at the scene. Even if there was a Pokémon that was as shy as Buneary was acting right now, Pikachu would eventually befriend it.

"Zoey, how about you take both Buneary and Pikachu and get them a snack?" he suggested.

Dawn stood up. "That's a good idea." she agreed. "Will you, Zoey?"

Zoey bowed politely. "Of course, Your Highness." she said. "Stay close to me." she told the two Pokémon.

Both nodded in confirmation and they followed Zoey back inside the castle, with Dawn and Ash following.

* * *

In a matter of minutes, both Pokémon were eating some Poffins in one of the many spare rooms of the castle. By now, Buneary wasn't as shy as she was before, but she still blushed red when Pikachu would smile at her.

Dawn loved having another Pokémon around besides Togekiss. She went over to Buneary, sitting at the table. "Hey, Buneary." she said, getting the Normal type's attention. "How would you like it if you could stay here with me?"

Buneary's eyes lit up with delight and she immediately jumped into Dawn's arms, chattering happily, making Dawn laugh. That reaction was more than enough for an answer.

Ash smiled at the adorable scene and Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder. "Wow, you can befriend Pokémon as easily as I can! Your kind heart is what drew Buneary to you. If you treat all of your subjects with that same level of kindness, I know that you'll make a wonderful queen someday, whether we're together or not." he said encouragingly.

"Well, Pikachu and I must be going." he said. "We still have some training to do."

"Very well." Dawn said, smiling brightly at the prince, who returned her grin with the same enthusiasm.

"I'll see you later, Salvia."

That very name made Dawn freeze for a second, but it was unnoticed by Ash as he and Pikachu said their goodbyes to Togekiss and Buneary, then left the room.

Dawn kept her eyes to the door, feeling a strange weight sink inside of her. Togekiss looked up at the doppelganger princess with a concerned look.

" _Togekiss?_ " she asked gently.

Dawn slowly sat down, remembering all of the times that she and Ash had shared in such a short time. But the more she relived them, the more the guilt that was settling in her stomach grew heavier.

She glanced down at Buneary, who was looking at her with the same worried expression. It was cute to know that the Normal type had a crush on Pikachu, like Dawn had butterflies in her chest when she would smile at his master, but it didn't really help the situation.

"What am I doing?" she chided herself. "This wasn't supposed to happen. I wasn't supposed to….fall in love with Prince Ash."

Dawn had never experienced love before in her life, so this feeling was new to her. But if this was what being in love truly felt like...then it was amazing!

* * *

 **PokemonFreak90: Dawn meets Buneary, who has fallen for Pikachu, just like how Dawn has fallen for Ash. Buneary will now be living with Dawn as her new Pokémon.**

 **What will happen next for Dawn, now that she realizes her feelings for the prince? Will she tell him? Or will she suppress these feelings, knowing that they can't ever be together?**

 **MDM: I hope something good. I am such a sucker for happy endings.** **Well, we hoped y'all enjoyed this long-awaited and way overdue chapter. Please leave a review about what you think!**

 **Got to fly! ;)**


	10. A Truth and a Loss

Switching Lives

 **PokemonFreak90: The story is really going to get suspenseful, after you read what's happening in this chapter!**

 **MDM: Then what are we waiting for? Let's get on with Chapter 9! Roll it!**

Chapter 9

A Truth and a Loss

Minutes later, Dawn was in Salvia's room, sitting on the bed and trying to come to terms with the difficult truth about her feelings for Prince Ash. The thought was exhilarating, but frightening at the same time. This new emotion that was now defined as love was very unfamiliar to her. Being raised as an orphan her whole life with no true home and having been given nary a glance, she wasn't sure of what to do. It was confusing, thrilling, and terrifying all at once, coming at her like a blast of cold water.

And to make the situation even more complicated, Ash thought that she was Salvia. If he were to discover the truth, would he shun her and let her be arrested for impersonating royalty? Or was there even a small chance that he also felt the same for Dawn and would still care about her, even if she wasn't who she said she was?

A knock on the door brought Dawn out of her turmoiled thoughts. "Come in." she said.

The door opened to reveal Zoey. A troubled look was on her face and she seemed almost ready to cry, which was strangely out of character for her.

"Your Highness, it's your mother." she reported, her voice unusually quiet. "She wants to speak to you in her chambers this instant. No delays."

At first, Dawn was immediately ready to come up with an excuse to not see the queen, but after seeing Zoey's demeanor, she realized that something was very wrong.

"She's failing, isn't she?" she asked, looking down at her white gloved hands in her lap. Even though, in truth, she was just a citizen and not the princess, she felt a sadness beginning to swell up inside of her.

Zoey nodded. "This may be your last chance to speak with her." she said, her head hung down.

Knowing that it would be too cruel for someone to deny anyone having a last chance to speak with a loved one, Dawn slowly stood up with Togekiss coming up to her side.

"Please escort us to the queen's chambers." she quietly requested.

Zoey bowed. "Of course, Princess."

In a matter of minutes, they were all standing in front of Queen Johanna's bedroom. Dawn was hesitant to open the door, but after a reassuring nudge from Togekiss, she did so.

"Please wait out here." she said to Zoey and the Fairy-Flying type.

Both nodded silently and Dawn entered solemnly, closing the door behind her.

As much as she wanted to admire the decor in the queen's chamber, the mood was just too heavy. She slowly walked up to the large turquoise plush bed where Queen Johanna herself was laying, dying. The queen was pale, breathing heavily but quietly, and she could barely keep her eyes open. But she still had a royal grace to her, even when nearing death.

Dawn silently took a seat beside the bed. She wondered if she should tell the queen the truth and that she could leave immediately and find Salvia. Then, she'll accept whatever final punishment she'll give.

The dying queen slowly fluttered her eyes open, the sapphire blue orbs dulled. But just barely, and slightly tilted her head towards her. She smiled faintly at the sight of the beautiful but sad young woman sitting beside her bed.

Dawn opened her mouth to speak, but Johanna beat her to it. "Please, my dear. Let me speak." She paused to take a breath. "I don't have much time left and you must know what I have to say."

Dawn closed her mouth and nodded. Slowly, the queen held out a trembling hand, urging Dawn to take it. At first, the doppelganger princess wasn't sure if she should, but on some unknown instinct, she took it in her own palm, almost like some unknown force was beckoning her to do so.

"Salvia, since the day you were born, I have tried to prepare you for this moment." Johanna began. "I always knew that I wouldn't be around forever and that I wouldn't be able to always care for you. I can feel that my time has almost come. I will be gone very soon...and you will be the new queen. But I called you here because I don't want to go without leaving anything unsaid."

She paused to take another breath. "I know that you're unhappy with all of the princes that I've invited here to win your heart, but I just wanted to make sure that you would be safe and taken care of, since I wouldn't be able to do it anymore. I was doing it because I loved you. I'm sorry if it felt like I was forcing them onto you, so if things don't work out between you and Ash, I understand. Don't marry someone who doesn't make you truly happy, Salvia. I should've just trusted you to make your own choice."

Dawn looked at her with surprised eyes. So that was why Johanna was so adamant on Salvia finding a husband! She just wanted to make sure that her daughter was provided and cared for. She supposed that was what all parents do for their children.

Johanna then continued to speak. "Salvia, you must rule with compassion, and care for our people like they're our family. Put their needs before your own and be prepared to defend our kingdom if any danger should come." She breathed deeply. "You'll have hard decisions to make as the queen, but you must be sure that those decisions are for the greater good."

She took another breath, but it was clear that her voice was beginning to fail, even with the heavy breaths. "There will be times where you can't help everyone, but you must always make the choice that helps as many of our people as it can, and the right ones."

The dying queen gave Dawn's hand a slight squeeze, making the doppelganger princess begin to feel tears come to her eyes. "Please promise me, my dear daughter, that you will always keep these things in your mind and in your heart when you take the throne. I must make sure that I'm leaving the kingdom in good hands."

Dawn knew that she herself wasn't going to be queen. This was all meant for Salvia. But still, there was something in the way that Johanna looked at her that made her not want to let her down. She deserved to rest in peace and if this was what would assure that, then she'd grant it. For the queen, and for Salvia, once they switched back.

"I promise." she finally vowed to her, speaking in place for Salvia.

Johanna smiled gratefully at the doppelganger princess, seeing the sincerity in her eyes. "Thank you, my dear." she said, knowing that her passing would have no worries now. "But," she paused again to take another breath, but it was more raspy than the others had been, "There's one more thing that I need to tell you."

Dawn was confused. What else could the queen have left to tell? She just hoped that she could remember most of it so that she could relay it to Salvia, somehow, once she got the chance.

"Salvia, there's something that you don't know. It's a secret that I've kept from you for your entire life and I can't die without telling you the truth." Dawn's eyes widened. This was sure to be a jaw dropper if even Salvia didn't know about it.

"You are not my only daughter. You have a twin sister who has been missing since you were babies." Now THIS was pretty heavy. A long-lost princess? Salvia has a twin sister that she didn't know about? "Her name...is Dawn."

Everything came to a halt in her mind. This was the last thing that she had expected to hear. But then, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She was found at an orphanage as an infant, and for goodness sake, she and Salvia did look alike! That was the first thing they realized once all of the soot was removed from Dawn's face when they first met.

"W-What?" That was the only word that Dawn could even squeak out at the moment.

Johanna nodded. "I've waited for so long to see her again." she continued. "My only regret is that I won't live to see the day when the two of you are reunited."

The queen took another raspy breath. "Salvia, I have one final request for you. Find your sister, wherever she is in the world, and bring her home. I want the two of you...to be happy together."

As Johanna's eyes finally began to close, she whispered one final sentence. "I love you, Salvia. Tell Dawn...that I love her, too."

Those were the last words that she ever spoke. Dawn felt the life leave her as she slowly released the queen's, no, her mother's hand and watched it fall limply onto the bed through the bleary tears in her eyes.

"No." she whispered. "No, Mother!" she begged, the word she so wished to call someone was like bitter ambrosia on her tongue. She loved it, yet it was too late for Johanna to hear it from her own lips.

"Mother, please!" Dawn pleaded tearfully, gently shaking her arm. "It's me, Dawn! Your lost daughter! I'm right here! Please don't leave me! Not after I've finally found you! Please come back! MOTHER!"

But the lifeless queen made no reply. Dawn started to sob, burying her face in her arms as she cried beside her mother. All of her childhood fantasies of reuniting with her family were dashed away in an instant and were instead replaced by a heartbreaking reality.

* * *

It had been a couple of hours since Queen Johanna's passing. Dawn had managed to regain herself and call Zoey in. She only gave her instructions to prepare the funeral arrangements and then ran into Salvia's room, Togekiss following her.

Once the door was shut behind her, Dawn collapsed on the bed and started to cry again. Togekiss and Buneary went on either side of her and tried to comfort her as best as they could.

Dawn sniffed and wiped away a few tears. "Buneary?" she whispered. The little Normal type came a bit closer. "There's something that you should know. I'm not actually Princess Salvia. My name is Dawn."

"Buneary?" she questioned, tilting her head.

"I know. I do look a lot like her, don't I?" Dawn said. "We thought that it would be fun to switch places for a few days. But now, I think I've bitten off more than I can chew." She then stood up from the bed and walked over to the desk, taking out a piece of parchment and a quill.

"Salvia needs to get back here as soon as possible." Dawn said, writing quickly. "She needs to know what happened to the queen and take her rightful place." Once she had finished writing, she rolled it up and tied it up with a blue ribbon.

Dawn then turned back to Buneary. "Buneary, I need you to go and find Salvia at Lord Cyrus' house and give this to her. I would send Togekiss, but that would cause too much suspicion why a servant girl would receive something from the princess." She then handed the message to Buneary. "I'm counting on you, Buneary. You would know right away who she is. She looks just like me."

Buneary nodded and gave a cry of agreement, taking the message in her paws. She then hopped away, leaving the room. Dawn sat back down on the bed with Togekiss stroking her back with her wing.

"I'm counting on you." she whispered.

* * *

It had taken all night, but Buneary wasn't tired in the least. She knew that this was very important to her new human friend. She couldn't let her down.

Soon, she saw Cyrus' mansion in the near distance, just as Dawn described it. The sight of it being close by put a pep in Buneary's bounce. She quickly began jumping towards it.

When she came towards the door leading towards the kitchen, Buneary saw a girl dressed in rags that looked just like Dawn, having a Piplup on her shoulder and a Glameow by her side. That must've been Princess Salvia.

" _Bun, Buneary!_ " the little Normal type got the disguised princess' attention.

Salvia saw Buneary hopping inside. "Oh, hello there." she greeted the Rabbit Pokémon.

" _Buneary._ " Buneary handed Salvia the note that Dawn wrote. Salvia took the note and saw that her name, not Dawn's, was on the front. Only Dawn knew that she was there.

Salvia untied the ribbon around it, unrolled the paper, and began to read it out loud. The message it contained made her mind stop in its tracks, and then break her heart into pieces.

 _Salvia, it's Dawn. There's something that you should know. The Buneary who gave you this is a new friend of mine. She'll come back to the castle once you have gotten this message._

 _You MUST come back to the castle and trade places back with me as soon as possible. Salvia, I'm sorry, but the queen, your mother, is dead. She died just a few hours ago. You must come back and take your rightful place before I'm mistaken for you._

 _Please hurry._

Salvia fell to her knees and began crying, hearing the news of her mother's passing. Back in the castle, she could tell that it was coming, but she was more heartbroken that she wasn't there during her mother's final moments.

Little did she know that her master, Cyrus, had heard her read the message and an evil smirk came over his face. "You're not going anywhere...Princess." he whispered to himself.

* * *

 **PokemonFreak90: Queen Johanna is dead and Dawn learns her dying secret: She is Salvia's twin sister and the long lost princess of Sinnoh!**

 **However, it seems that Cyrus knows about the girls switching places and is plotting to use it against them! What do you think he could be planning?**

 **The girls will now have to race against time to get back to their proper places before it's too late! Not to mention that Dawn still has to tell Salvia about them being sisters, too! And how confused will Ash be when he learns that he hasn't been in love with Salvia at all?**

 **As you can tell, the story's going to get a lot more exciting from here, so make sure to stay tuned and keep reading!**

 **MDM: Okay, you are definitely excited for the rest of the story. So many questions, so many complications, it's enough to leave readers on the edge of their seat. Well, we'll see what happens?**

 **How about you guys? Are y'all psyched for more? If you are, then we'll see y'all in Chapter 10! Please leave a review and let us know what you think!**

 **Got to fly! ;)**


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